Tottenham Hotspur’s links to a new forward have taken another turn as news emerges on Rennes star and Belgium international Jeremy Doku.
Who will Spurs sign?
Ange Postecoglou’s side are up and running after the Australian’s first competitive game as Spurs head coach, having sealed a 2-2 draw away to Brentford last Sunday.
Goals from unlikely sources in Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal gifted the north Londoners their first point of the new Premier League campaign, but as we enter the latter part of this transfer window, time is running out for them to strengthen.
Spurs have already put pen to paper on deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, youngster Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon and striker Alejo Veliz – but more could follow them.
The surprise sale of elite striker Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, which hands Tottenham a potential £103m windfall if certain add-ons are met, also seriously weakens Postecoglou’s options in the forward areas.
Tottenham’s manager, though, has insisted that the 30-year-old was always likely to depart N17 this summer.
“I had a conversation with Harry the first day he arrived and he was up front and honest, and I was the same,” Postecoglou said last week.
“You get an indication there that he kind of made up his mind: that if the clubs agreed he would go, particularly if it was before the first game. That was my preference as well.
“There’s nothing along the way that’s sort of made me feel there’s anything other than this outcome. None of these things happen in isolation, everyone is pretty clued into what’s going on, so from my perspective I hadn’t received anything from Harry, the club or anyone else to suggest to me anything had changed about his stance.”
While they won’t come as direct Kane replacements, Spurs have been linked with the likes of Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson this window, meaning they could be looking to add more firepower in the wide areas.
Doku, who is being chased by the likes of West Ham and Man City, is a new target for Tottenham as journalist Miguel Delaney shares what he’s heard.
Writing a piece for The Independent, Delaney claims Postecoglou’s side are in a race with the aforementioned sides for Rennes’ star, and Spurs could make a persuasive claim for him to join them.
The Ligue 1 side are likely to demand around £50 million for his services, and while Spurs have a good chance of signing him, it is believed West Ham are the most advanced as things stand.